After President Trump made a televised announcement on the evening of March 11, 2020, that travel into the U.S. from most of Europe would be suspended for one month from March 13-a move intended to avoid further spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus-many Americans abroad found themselves in a mad dash to get home within the span of, essentially, a single day.
Trump's somewhat troublesome delivery during his speech, broadcast from the Oval Office, and failure to delve into the details of this near-immediate action reportedly caused many travelers to panic, not realizing that the ban doesn't actually apply to U.S. citizens. It will, however, mean that they must be routed through one of eleven CDC-approved airports to re-enter the States after March 13.
USA Today reported that, due to a sudden scramble to secure last-minute flights, fare prices for March 13 flights from Europe into the United States aboard major U.S. airlines had skyrocketed. As of March 12, at 8:00 a.m. ET, United Airlines' one-way flights from Paris to New York ranged from $2,400 to $5,700. American Airlines' seats from Paris to New York for the same day were priced from $2,000 to $7,300 on its website; and Delta's website displayed a price range of $2,200 to $5,900 for the same trip.
Just a few hours later, in response to the issue, United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta all announced that they'd be capping fares on one-way flights between Europe and the U.S. that are considered affected by the new, government-imposed suspension. The capped fares are reportedly applicable for travel through March 24, 2020.
In a statement provided to USA Today by American Airlines' Senior Manager of Corporate Communications, Andrea Koos, the airline stated: "We have capped our Main Cabin fares from Europe and the U.K. at a maximum of 799 EUR/GBP and fares from the U.S. have been capped at $1,000," the statement read. "These fares include taxes and fees that are typically around $250 to $300 on transatlantic routes. We are also offering reasonably priced fares for our premium cabins on our trans-Atlantic routes."
A statement given to USA Today by United Airlines spokesperson, Leslie Scott, indicated that United's capped fares are now live on its website. As of 8:00 p.m. ET on March 12, United flights on March 13, bound from Paris to New York, ranged in price from roughly $1,000 to $5,000.
A spokesperson for Delta confirmed to Fox News that the carrier would be capping fares on Europe-to-U.S. flights as folks struggle to get home before the 30-day ban takes effect. "The safety and health of our customers and employees is always our highest priority. Delta has and will continue to quickly make adjustments to service, as needed, in response to government travel directives," commented Delta's spokesperson.
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